The Holodrama Wars
by WildHorseFantasy
Summary: When Barriss Offee and Anakin Skywalker discover they have been recreated in a holodrama, they are alarmed, for different reasons on how they are portrayed.


~ Having enjoyed The Clone Wars TV show, it did rather sadden me that instead of incorporating the content from the books and comics, they over wrote it. Most especially it bothered me how they portrayed Barriss. So just for fun, I wrote this.  
This is just for fun, not for profit. I claim no ownership of Star Wars or its characters.

* * *

The kid spitting at Barriss whirled on Anakin. His blue hair stood up in spikes and his face was red with being scrunched up. "How can you be with her! You're a hero! She betrayed you and framed your padawan!"

"I..what?" Anakin blinked. "That wasn't Barriss, that was.."

"It was! You know it was! They showed it on my favored show, Clone Wars Heroes and Villains!"

"Holo Shows are not reality!" Barriss forced her voice to be calm.

The kid just glared at her.

"Zamlin! Time for lunch!" A woman's voice called.

The boy glowered and then ran off, leaving the two Jedi staring after.

"Holo drama?" Anakin finally asked, blinking in confusion. What was that about?"

"I don't know." Barriss was visibly upset. Well, visible to another Jedi, anyway.

"They must've heard about the clone incident…someone in the Senate or Tarkin's office must've talked."

Barriss hugged herself, irritated. "I can't believe everyone thought that clone was me!"

Anakin sighed. He hadn't seen Barriss in quite awhile when that had happened. "I don't think your clone was there long enough for the differences to be obvious…especially since she kept mostly to herself."

"That isn't comforting."

"Sorry." Anakin said, genuinely. It would be horrible to have everyone think you were the villain….though the Separatists already did. "Come to think of it, the other side must think your a hero."

Barriss snorted. "How am I supposed to help here if people think I'm the enemy!"

"We'll just prove you aren't." He headed for the director's headquarters, sloshing through the light drizzle and mud puddles.

It wasn't that simple. It took hours of back and forth over the holonet with the Jedi Council to convince the refugee camp director that Barriss was, in fact, a Jedi in good standing and sent by them to help the outbreak of virus and injury plaguing them.

While waiting, Barriss plugged into the holodrama in question herself and watched. She could feel the distress and pain of the refugees and it hurt not to be able to help.

She lost track of time as she watched. Anakin strode in, "You're good. They are setting you up in the medics quarters. I still have to wait for them to finish the repairs to the hyperdrive on the Resolute...what are you doing?" Barriss' face was tight as she looked at him. "I'm watching this…this…inaccurate drivel." She waved at the holo. "No mention that it was a clone who betrayed Ahsoka. But that is just the latest…there's more. They've got Satine's Mandalorian colony shown as the real Mandalore. They've got Master Piell listed as dead…I wonder if that's caused him any problems? And their account of how you ended up with Ahsoka as your padawan instead of her being Obi-Wan's like the Council planned is…well, ridiculously lacking. Oh. And they made me younger. I'm not even a Knight in this!"

Anakin poked the controls, reading the credits. "Well, it does say its fiction…and knowing Master Piell, he's found ways to turn it to his advantage." Anakin remembered the nightmare mission of the citadel. Evan's death was exaggerated. But it wasn't by a great margin, he'd barely made it to the medics in time.

"In tiny print! And hardly anyone watches the credits!"

"I'm surprised anyone has time to watch the holos, with the war on."

"Oh, and how about this?" She asked, suddenly taking on a mischievous look that worried him. The holo flickered, bringing up a scene from one of the episodes. Anakin's jaw dropped and he had to will himself not to react out of proportion. The scene showed his animated self kissing Padme.

"Oh…I'm glad the Council doesn't have time for holo dramas." He finally said, forcing his voice out and doing his best to act casual. There was no way anyone could know, could they?

"That producer is lucky I'm here, instead of Coruscant!" Barris said firmly.

Anakin let her have the ghost of a smile. He hadn't seen her like this since they were padawans and she'd challenged Soergg the Hutt on Ansion. "Next time we're there, we should have a talk…"

As it turned out, Barriss made it back before he did. She approached the Council, only a few of whose members were there. Shaak Ti, Yoda, and Mace Windu listened to her concerns.

"We can't stop them making up stories, Barriss." Shaak Ti's voice was calm. "They are for children. Is your ego so wounded you would waste worry on it?"

"But these are dangerous stories, dangerous to us! Don't you see…what if someone sees Aurra Sing in real life, and thinks she's as easy as these make it seem? They might try and arrest her and be killed. And how much time, and energy, and possibly lives were wasted trying to convince the refugee director I'm on their side?"

She turned to Yoda. "And some of what's in them…how are they getting intel? Some of the missions they used….well, the wrong stuff is bad enough, but what they get right, they shouldn't even know about! It's classified. How did they know about the cloaked ship Anakin used at Christophsis?"

"A point, you have, Young Barriss." Yoda glanced at Mace Windu. "Wish to confront this producer you do?"

"I feel someone must, Master. If not me, perhaps one of you."

Mace sighed. "We really don't have time for this. But you are right. We don't have time for the repercussions either. We are still trying to find where the clone of you came from…and how it was grown so quickly. It was not a kindness. We've encountered experiments on cloning Jedi before and it always ends in tragedy."

"Then I will approach him, with your permission."

"Go. But be careful."

Barris brow rose. "Of a Holodrama producer? What worse can he do, he's already smeared my reputation!"

"I don't know…and I don't want to find out."

It took a great deal of effort for Barriss to control her anger as she strode toward the building. She was shocked out of it when she saw Anakin loitering nearby.

"Anakin! What are you doing here!" She whispered sharply.

He started. "Investigating…we just got in for a refit and I was curious." And Padme was in a Senate meeting, so he couldn't go home. And he didn't want to go to the Temple, lest any padawans had stumbled on the incriminating holo drama. But she didn't need to know that.

"The Council has given me leave to deal with him."

"Oh?" Anakin was intrigued. "How?"

"I'm going to talk to him, of course!" Barriss brushed past and moved to the end of the line before the receptionist. As she waited, Anakin looked around. He blinked at a life size Yoda statue. People were taking pictures of it. Then he saw one of Obi-Wan. Glancing around, he saw other's scattered about. He wondered if one of him was somewhere. It made him feel odd. His lips quirked as he noticed a family of Ithorian tourists posing with the statue and taking pictures. Cautiously, he pulled out his own datapad and took a quick shot of it. He could have a lot of fun with it. He glanced over at Barriss, who had finally reached the head of the circular white desk. She was arguing with the pantolomin woman. The woman kept shaking her head.

Barriss came back, looking flustered and annoyed. "I'd have tried a mind trick but too many are watching. Any suggestions, hero?"

Anakin eyed the bothan guard. "Yes. Keep your lightsaber out."

He strode up to the bothan, before Barriss could question or challenge that. "I have an appointment to try out for the role of Anakin Skywalker in that movie about him and Obi-Wan?" He waved at Barriss. "She's playing the Jedi Healer, Barriss Offee." My manager called ahead. I'm supposed to talk to….what was his name?" He glanced at the frowning Barriss. Her eyes narrowed. "Phlonee."

"Right." "They should have given you security docs." The bothan said, sounding bored.

Anakin's fingers waved lightly. "They did. But would the real Anakin need them? Or use them if he did? How can I get in character by ignoring what he would really do? And would a healer waste time on them when people are dying?"

The bothan looked even more flustered by this than Barriss felt. "Isn't she a little old for Barriss?"

Barriss bristled and Anakin instantly waved his fingers, keeping the bothan focused on him. "She can act younger, and with a bit of make up, she'll be fine. She's even got the lightsaber…" Barriss waved the hilt obligingly. "We should go up now."

You…you are right. it wouldn't be in character. And she'll be fine." His voice sounded just slightly odd. "Go on, he's on the one hundred second floor."

Anakin and Barriss darted through together. She looked at him. "Smirking is unbecoming a Jedi."

"Look me in the eye and tell me you didn't enjoy that." He fired back, lightly.

Barriss blinked and looked away hurriedly, before he could see her smile break loose.

"You are terrible. We'll get the poor guard in trouble."

"You can always go back."

"Hah. No. I'm the one with permission to do this, remember? You are just using it as an excuse to go poking. You are a very bad influence." She poked him lightly as they entered a turbolift.

"I know." He grinned. It faded though as he looked away. Had the Council assumed Ahsoka had fallen prey to his bad influence? If Ahsoka had stayed Obi-Wan's padawan, would they have distrusted her so quickly and cast her out? It was Anakin's example that made her disobey Council orders and follow them into the Citadel. In the end, only sheer practicality had made the Council decide to make her his apprentice instead. Obi-Wan was going on solo missions and frequently injured. Anakin, on the other hand, needed backup where he was going. Or they thought he did anyway. Part of him wondered if Ahsoka was meant to keep an eye on him. Not that he thought she had, but perhaps that had been their hope, that she would curb his less Jedi instincts. If so, the thought angered him. It hadn't been fair either to him or Ahsoka.

And in the end it was hopeless to claim she was learning from Obi-Wan more than Anakin. She just didn't see him enough. So they reluctantly made her his padawan, at least temporarily. It had never occurred to him he'd miss her this much. On the contrary, he'd thought she'd cramp his style, possibly even discover him and Padme. He still wasn't sure she didn't suspect.

He was distracted by singing as they entered the target floor. They passed a room of singing younglings of several species. A few hallways down, a diva holodrama star was throwing a fit behind a closed door, which opened suddenly and a flustered spike haired man rushed out, ducking beneath a vase that flew out and crashed into the wall opposite. The door slid shut, leaving shattered glass and puddles of water. They shared a mystified glance. Clearly the drama wasn't all for the benefit of audiences!  
A crew carrying part of a large creature model past, causing them to press against the wall to make room.

Anakin peered after it. "I wonder what that was?"

"I don't know if it was something they invented…or a creature I'd never want to encounter…" Barriss' eyes were wide.

Anakin heard his name and the clash of lightsabers. He sensed no danger however. A glance at Barriss showed her brow wrinkled in puzzlement. They came up to a large door on one side, it slid open, a rodian hurried out, and they heard more lightsabers and a voice similar to Obi-Wan's yelling to 'Anakin'.

"I guess this is it…" Barriss said.

"Yes.." Anakin watched as a droid almost identical to Artoo rolled out and into a costume and prop area next door.

Neither had moved, both still processed what they were seeing. "There is the office…" Barriss said, pointing opposite the studio. "I'd best see if Phlonee is there."

"Right…" Anakin cautiously glanced at her.

"Why do I feel like you are going to sneak in there?" She waved at the door of the prop room.

"May as well see how else they plan to slander us." "True. Don't get us kicked out." Barriss headed to the office and rang the buzzer without waiting for his reply. The door opened suddenly. Anakin's footsteps vanished behind her.

"Who? What? What do you want?" The man had a hat unpleasantly reminiscent of Cad Bane, slightly chubby cheeks, and a slightly officious attitude. He noticed her lightsaber. "We don't need any more Jedi. And we don't allow people to bring their own props."

"It's not a prop." Barriss' eyes narrowed. "See?" She drew and lit it, waving around him. Normally, she was not into such displays…it was more Anakin's style. If he saw her, she'd never live it down. But the man thought it was a prop…

His mouth hung open. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I'm Jedi Knight, Barriss Offee. The real Barriss Offee. A knight, not a padawan and not the clone who blew up the temple." She stared fiercely at him as she put the weapon back on her belt. "I escaped the Separatists right after that and the whole thing was exposed when they did a micro analysis of her DNA. She was mentally unstable." She paused a beat. "I'm here on behalf of the Jedi Council to ask where you're getting your information, why you are spreading this false news and encourage you to stop!"

Phlonee spread his hands. "Hey, I love the Jedi. But people want to know more about them, how can we get the facts straight when you won't answer questions?"

"We don't answer questions due to security concerns. That doesn't give you the right to dramatize lies." "Hey! It's a free holonet! And it's a popular show! People love you!" "People may love the Jedi, but your show is a lie. And that child that spit on me thinking I was a traitor didn't love me." "Well, neither do the Separatists…heh." He shrugged nervously, pulling the stained black tunic slightly. "Surely a little spit is no big deal?"

Barriss put her hands on her hips. "No, the big deal was how much time was wasted trying to sort out security access to do my job when I should have been treating sick and injured people in the med center!"

"Oh….well, I'm sure we can come up with ….some way to redeem the character." Phlonee said.

"It's more than my character! Your show is a security risk! How did you know there was a cloaked ship at Christophsis!"

"Oh…well…eyewitness accounts." He grinned. "Cloaked…eye witness. Get it?" His smile faded under her stony expression. "I'm sorry, I can't reveal my sources." "The Jedi have the authority to shut you down." "No they don't!" He scowled at her now, heavy brows bridging his scrunched nose.

"Yes, we do. Under the Securities act, you are endangering our military as well as slandering our people."

"Slandering? Well, now I didn't know it was a clone…"

"And what about Senator Amidala? Does she know about your lies?"

"What lies? I've got….well, I can't give you names but people have seen Skywalker visiting her rooms late at night. What are we supposed to think?" "How about, your sources might be working for the Separatists to undermine us? Lying? Mistaken? Or they might've been on Republic business? There is a war on and it keeps no hours!" Barriss felt the slightest flicker of doubt as she said it. Ahsoka herself said Anakin always disappeared for hours when on Coruscant. Still, it was none of her affair.

"Now look…there must be an alternative…"

While Barriss argued with Phlonee, Anakin followed the droid into the props and costumes room. It rolled to a port and started recharging. Voices shouted through comlinks from the neighboring suite, and he ducked behind a rack as a boxy utility droid darted past with a crate of props. Anakin peered at the costumes thoughtfully. Jedi outfits, outfits for royalty and politicians, outfits for peasants….he found a few that puzzled him, reminding him of Jedi outfit but much darker. Pushing past the vast array of clothing, he came to a props wall. It was huge. He picked up an odd, circular object. It looked like someone had stuck a lightsaber on a ringed handle. "Totally impractical." Anakin muttered, with the air of a professional. "What do they plan to do with it?"

"It is a for a new character in the works."

Anakin spun to see a blue gray protocol droid standing in the shadows. "What's it supposed to be?"

"It is a special lightsaber for Jedi hunters" "It's no lightsaber." Anakin turned it over in his hand. "The design would never function. It's impossible. I should know."

"I know nothing of the mechanics, only its purpose." The droid paused. "Please put it back." Anakin considered. "Jedi hunters, huh? Like we don't have enough problems?" He laid the item on the shelf and looked at the other bizarre array of items. One reminded him of a Sith holocron. He scowled.

"Are you authorized to be here? This area is for staff, only."

Anakin strolled around, coming closer to the droid. "Of course, how else would I get in?"

"I am not sure that…" the droid fell silent as Anakin swiftly hit the off switch. He felt somewhat guiltier than with the bothan, but he wasn't sure why.

He quickly sat at the nearest desk and sliced the computer, into holo files. Scripts…story lines….he frowned as he read swiftly.

Inquisitor? What was that? And Jedi on the run? Baffled, he flipped through rapidly, studying sketches. The troopers as villains? Rex would be appalled…his eyes widened as he realized one character was supposed to be Rex. He bit his lip to keep from laughing. Rex would certainly not be amused. And some planet named Loth something….he started at a noise outside. It would be embarrassing to be caught here…not so much for him as the Council. Angry as he was at their treatment of Ahsoka, it would probably all land on Obi-Wan, and he definitely didn't deserve it.

He quickly spun back to the droid, opening up a port in the side and plugged in his datapad. He left the droid with a few minutes of memory wiped.

He hurried to the door, sticking to the shadows alongside. A young woman, much like Barriss but younger, hurried in. "T9? I need the Ventress saber props, where are they?"

Anakin breezed out the door when she wasn't looking, before she found T9 in the corner. He looked up and down the hall, cocking his head as he heard a slightly raised voice coming from the office.

"My dear girl, I can't just…"

"I'm a Jedi knight, not a dear girl. And you are being shut down."

Anakin smiled at her fierceness. So much for Jedi serenity.  
"I dispute your authority to do that! Why, the Chancellor himself commended this show…"

A orange astromech of unusual clunky design crashed into Anakin's leg an made rude noises at him. Anakin scowled, moving to the office and listening.

"Does the Chancellor know your violating security protections?"

"I'm not. I'm sure you could ask him, but he's very busy…"

Anakin decided to poke his head in. He found Barriss, in control to the untrained eye but definitely agitated. The producer, Phlonee, blinked at Anakin, jaw dropping. "You! Oh it's an honor to me you!" He fairly leaped forward grabbing and shaking his hand as Anakin hastily drew back and tried to retrieve it. Barriss glowered at him. He shrugged slightly, helplessly.

"He's not too busy for me." Anakin said firmly, challengingly. "Should we ask him?"

"Oh…well…I would have thought, you at least, would be pleased. You're a real hero on the show too you know..boys everywhere look up to you." "One you've got having an affair with a Senator? You expect him to be happy about that?"

Barriss demanded.

Phlonee opened his mouth, eyes darting to Anakin. Anakin felt a surge of alarm. What did the man know? He decided to cut him off. "And I certainly am not happy that you smeared the reputation of a friend and colleague."

The man found backbone from somewhere. "I have employees to feed. Would you put them out of work in these hard times?"

"Find another story to tell." Barriss fired back. "And employ them to tell it."

"Well…I do have another in the works, but its not ready yet. And I tell you, I have dispensation to talk about the war."

"We'll just see about that." Barriss said firmly. "We will shut you down." She spun, robes wrapping around her and strode out of the office.

"Wait!" Phlonee bolted after.  
Anakin waited until the two had vanished down the hall before diving for the computer. Fingers flew across keys as he sliced into the system. He frowned. There were files in here he couldn't slice through. He was hardly an encryption expert. But why would a man like Phlonee, a director of a holo show, need to be?  
He found what he was after though. Various reports from witnesses claiming Anakin and Padme had been secretly seeing each other. He bit his lip as he saw the footage of one watching him enter her apartment and greet her. He swore as he witnessed their enthusiastic greeting. "Kriffin' papparrazzi!" He swore, carefully noting the name of the holographer. The being had been paid for an exclusive. That was good. Maybe, just maybe, it would go no further. Anakin quickly rigged a program to not only erase the file but to search out any similar ones and erase them too. Then he quickly logged off and hid evidence he'd been at the desk. Hurrying out the door, he sensed a tremor in the Force and heard determined footsteps. Glancing at the security cams in the hall, he gave them a Force flash and hurried after Barriss. He glanced back around the corner just in time to see security hurrying up. He must've triggered a flag when he hit those decrypted files.  
Phlonee was coming toward him speaking on a comlink. Anakin ducked behind a crew carrying what appeared to be a part of the large monster alien from earlier. He overheard 'she can't do that...we have ..." The man's voice faded as the monster turned a corner. It continued one way and Anakin ducked the other, coming up on the turbolift and spying Barriss, frowning and looking around for him.

Anakin blinked and hastily jogged up to her. "Don't hold back, Barriss, give him a piece of your mind." Anakin eyed her, brow raised. "What happened to diplomacy." He hit the turbolift call.

"It wasn't working." She looked at him. "Do you believe him about the Chancellor?"

"I can't see Palpatine knowingly sabotaging the war effort. But he's awfully busy, he can't possibly pay attention to everything this Phlonee guy is doing."

"Did you find anything in your snooping?"

"Well, yes. But I don't know what it means."

"I heard alarms going off."

"Hmm. Let's just say he's got some interesting security for a holodrama producer."

"Well…Let's shut him down. I am sorry about the employees."

"I'm sure they'll be all right." Anakin frowned. "I just wonder if what he comes up with to replace this holodrama is something worse..."

Two days later, Phlonee kneeled before the hooded hologram. "They've succeeded in getting the holodrama cancelled, My Lord."

"Make sure your employees know it was the Jedi who put them out of work. It will stir up sentiment against them. We will turn this to our advantage. Meanwhile, work on your hero story of Jedi hunters. It will become reality soon…very soon."

"As you wish, my Lord."

"When do you ship out again?" Barriss asked Anakin. They had paused at Dex's diner for a meal, oddly reluctant to return to the temple.

"Too soon, I think. What about you?"

Barriss picked at her meal for a moment. "Any idea where Ahsoka went?"

He made a face. "Not really. I wish I did. I…worry."

"You trained her well." Her lips pursed. "No matter what the Council thinks." She dared to say. "She'll be fine…" Barriss voice trailed off. "Does it worry you at all…why the clone of me claimed to do what she did?"

Anakin sipped his drink, blinking, nearly choking at the question. "As irrational as she was, I didn't give it a lot of thought." "I have…and while I hate her methods and what she did to my reputation…," Barriss looked down, then up again. "I'm very disturbed at what it revealed. About us. Ahsoka, just cast out on the most circumstantial evidence. And she was nowhere on Coruscant on when it started."

"That part I find infuriating…," He gave her a wary look. "Do you think…if I wasn't her master, they might not have automatically believed it?"

Her eyes widened. "They didn't all believe it. Yoda and Obi-Wan didn't. Neither, I think, was Master Plo convinced."

Anakin glanced away at the assorted beings seated at tables around them. It was a truly bizarre selection, and how Dex could manage to appease that many palates was beyond him. He looked back. "When Obi-Wan was injured, and then going on those solo missions…" He chewed his lip. "I think he and Yoda were trying to maneuver Ahsoka into being my apprentice, because the rest of the Council didn't think I was ready. Or maybe just didn't approve. They don't believe in me…I'm surprised they even knighted me. I guess it was just because I was needed. I'm not sure thought..I can't quite see them ignoring the Council."

Barriss gave a short laugh and then fell silent as another diner glanced their way. "Yoda has though. How about that trip to Korriban? or Obi-Wan taking you to start with? You and Qui-Gon before you…such influences. In a way, you're good for us." Anakin's eyes widened. "How so?"

"I'm not saying we should ignore the Code or the Council, but they are not infallible. If we never question, then won't they too, risk becoming too proud? The Council heeds the Senate, but that's a fine balancing act, because of the many special interest groups."

"Hmm." He chewed thoughtfully, again glancing around.

"You made knight long before me."

He blinked at this and flushed…, "well.." He hesitated. "I'm not sure why. You're a more traditional Jedi than I ever could be."

"But my specialty is healing. Combat is yours. They needed you ready, faster. And I've no doubt that you were ready. I think they thought getting Ahsoka ready…at least, Obi-Wan and Yoda thought…that it would get you ready even faster, as well as preparing her in a time when we simply had to rush being Jedi."

There was a time Anakin would've agreed instantly. Now he wasn't so sure. He wanted the Council to believe in him. But did they? Had they knighted him because they truly believed in him, or for their own convenience? The thought bothered him.

"You notice they've moved the age up….Jedi as young as Ahsoka was are rarely taken in the field now. It's not like when we were padawans. When we first began our missions, they were a little combat, more investigation and a lot of diplomacy. Now it's all battle." "Now that does makes sense." Anakin sighed. "After Jabiim..they'd be crazy to send the younger ones out."

"Anakin….I need to find Ahsoka." "Might be hard to do, in between these missions. I'm not sure she wants to be found."

Barriss laid her fork down, her expression very serious. She glanced around to gauge whether anyone was listening.

"I'm finding her before any more missions."

Anakin's jaw fell open slightly.

"Anakin, so far as I know she still thinks I betrayed her. She doesn't know it was a not very mentally stable clone. And I need her to know that. I also need to know…why she didn't come back. I think its important."

"More important than the war effort?" He frowned slightly. "How will the Council take that?"

"My instincts tell me, yes. Sometimes the most important thing in the war effort is a little detail that goes unnoticed in all our chaos and rushing about." Her lips pursed.

"The Council won't like it." His eyebrows rose. "It's more the kind of thing I do. Maybe I really am a bad influence!"

"Neither will Luminara. But I must do it."

They rose to pay for their meal. Pausing at the counter, Anakin motioned to the server droid, "Flo, we need to talk to Dex for a moment."

"I'll get him." She rolled at high speed back into the kitchen, said something, then zoomed back out with an order on her tray. Dex ambled out behind her. "Hey, you too. Long time no see. How is Obi-Wan?"

"He's doing the same as ever, Dex." Anakin glanced at Barriss. He leaned on the counter and glanced at the patrons.  
"So get hurt every other time out?"  
Anakin gave a half smile and nodded. "We were wondering if Ahsoka has been in at all lately?"

"Oh, once or twice." Dex expression was sad, and wary. "Kid was pretty ...upset, over how the Council handled that bombing."

"So am I." Anakin said firmly.

Barriss swallowed hard. "If she comes in…will you give her a message?"

"Certainly."

Message given they wandered out onto the streets of Coruscant. Barriss paused. "I'm not going back to the temple until I find her, Anakin. Do you have any other ideas where to look?"

He paused. She was very serious. A flicker of doubt went through him. Shouldn't he be the one so determined to speak to her? "Lux Bonteri. She was….close to him. She might go see him. He was with the Onderonian Senator last I heard." "Oh?" Barriss brows rose in surprise. "Thank you." "When you find her…tell her I miss her." She smiled. "I will. But I bet she knows."

When Barriss finally found her, there was a very long, awkward pause. They met in a little bar Dex had pointed her too, attached to a not so attractive hotel. Turned out Lux Bonteri also had a fondness for the diner.

Barriss held out her hands. "I'm so sorry, Ahsoka." Ahsoka grinned and squeezed her hand. "I don't hold you responsible for what a clone did. I'm so relieved it wasn't really you." She frowned then. "But I feel like I should have realized it." "I don't know what to say…" "Because you think everyone should have?" Ahsoka nodded. "Well, in my own defense, I really only talked to you on the holocom, after our one brief encounter. I hope I'd know the difference in person…"

Barriss suddenly hugged her. Ahsoka returned it.

"I have missed you…and so has Anakin."

Ahsoka looked down. "I know. But Anakin…." her tone was troubled. "I'm afraid for him Barriss. The Council….I don't think they know what they are asking. Be the Jedi we want you to be…bring balance. But we can't tell you how, only how not to do it? I think they are tearing him apart. He'll never be who most of them want. He's too….too Anakin."

Barriss gave her a half smile. "He is that. I kind of think we need him just for that…the Council needs to be questioned, at least some times. If they never are, won't they get complacent?"

"I wonder if they realize that?" Ahsoka shook her head. "I doubt it."

"Why did you refuse to come back?"

"If they don't trust me, why should I trust them? And the scary thing is, what the clone of you said, made sense. Not her actions, but her words. I've seen how this war is affecting the people now. You can't see it as much on the front lines, with so much chaos, who has time to look? But the ordinary people. And there is something wrong, from the ground up about it. Padme is right….we only see Dooku and Ventress and Grievous and troops when fighting. But there are people honestly duped into believing in them. I don't think that would be so if some of what they said wasn't true." "The truth mixed with lies is very dangerous." Ahsoka nodded. "What worries me is that I fear both sides are doing it."

Barriss frowned. "I…do have to go back. I know its not entirely right, but we do know Dooku is wrong. What alternative is there?"

"I don't know yet, but I feel I have to look….and I feel I don't want to be there, if the Council destroys Anakin. Don't tell them or him I said that, okay?"

"What do you mean, destroys him? You mean get him killed?"

"Or something worse…why should he trust them either, if they don't trust him? I have a bad, bad feeling that it may turn out far worse than what happened to me."

"I don't know what you mean." "Neither do I. It's just a feeling. If I knew what it was, I'd do something about it." Ahsoka paused. "If you ever need me, just call. As your friend, I'll be there. And…be careful, out there."

Barriss and Ahsoka parted on good terms. But Barriss did not forget her parting words and pondered them. She knew she was right. The Council's actions, the way they treated Anakin, the way the war affected the civilians and worst of all, disseminators of false information like that holo drama. There was far more going on here. She only hoped they figured it out before it was too late.


End file.
